A Study On Lin Fengmian's Art

The 20th century is a great age for tremendous social change in China, and a glorious time for revolution in fine arts. Lin Fengmian, as a man who witnesses the vicissitudes of the 20th century, and a recluse in the field of fine arts who insistesn painting in the most turbulent time in China, overcomes the hardships, confusions and misunderstandings, and finally manages to open up a revival way for the development of Chinese painting. He devotes all his life and explores the unique Lin Fengmian Style, which truly realize the unification between the Chinese and Western art summits.The thesis is divided into three chapters to explore the development road of Lin Fengmian's artistic thoughts and its artistic features. Chapter One mainly discusses the stagnation and confusion that the traditional Chinese ink painting is confronted with by 20th century. Bombarded by the impact from Western art thoughts and the voice for change at home, the change of traditional Chinese painting is inevitable. Among the voices who favor changes in traditional Chinese painting, the groups and schools who have achieved successes and influence are the reforming group of Xu Beihong, the school of Qi Baishi who approve innovation from tradition, and the revolutionary group of Lin Fengmian who support the integration between Chinese and Western thoughts. In this thesis, the author tries his best to analyze the nature of Lin Fengmian's artistic thoughts -an integration between the Chinese and Western thoughts, which affirms that Lin Fengmian has led a true way of integration. His integration is not so rigid as Ling Nan Painting School, but is a crystallization through integration. The well-known artist Liu Kaiqiu once commented," I feel that the advantage or the greatness of Lin Fengmian lies in that he not only realizes the greatness of the ancient Chinese arts, but also creates his own arts in a new way. Therefore, his art is not a reform on the basis of the ancient art forms in China and western Europe, but an innovation on the basis of new consciousness. Although it is possible to detect something in ancient arts both in China and abroad, he has his own new things. The art is Lin Fengmian's arts."â‘ Chapter Two describes the unique artistic achievement from the perspective of structure, ink and colour, lines, individual character. Chapter Three puts Lin Fengmian's arts into certain historical environment, discusses both the creative progress and the criticism he has received, and try to draw a liable and accurate evaluation.